Regulating device



Feb. 17, 1925.

L. M. POTTS REGULATING DEVICE Filed Oct. 26, 1522 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb. 17, 1925.

1,526,371 L. M. POTTS REGULA'IING DEVICE Filed Oct. 26, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented F eb. 17, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS H. POTTS, OF HIGHWOOD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNO'R TO WESTERN ELECTRIC COMPANY, INCORPORATED, OF NEW. YORK, N. Y., A. CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

REGULATING DEVICE.

Application filed October 26, 1922. Serial No. 596,942.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS M. Porrs, a citizen of the-United States of America, re-

siding at Highwood, in the county of Berb .5 gen, State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Regulating Devices, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description.

This invention. relates to regulating devices and particularly to devices for controlling the speed of motor driven elements, and its object is a regulating device suitable for use in connection with the driving motors of printing telegraph and like apparatus.

The invention in its preferred form provides a device having a natural period of -motion such as a balance and escapement mechanism driven by power derived from the driving motor and means under the joint control of the motor and balance and escapement mechanism for controllin the relation between the motor and the riven element whenever the motor starts to fall below or passes beyond the desired normal speed.

v Referring to the drawings, Fig. 1 is a plan view of the mechanism; Fig. 2 is a side elevation with a portion of mechanism removed; Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; while Fig. 1

is a sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

In the drawing is shown an electric motor A, the speed of which is variable, and a balance and escapement mechanism B having a constant rate. A variable speed driving connection C and a rotary member 5 for controlling the connection C are provided.

When there is a certain ratio between the rate of the balance and the speed of the driven .Inember, rotary member 5 will be stationary except for a s ght oscillation due to the stopping'and starting action of the balance and escapement mechanism. When a change in the speed of the motor moves rotary member 5 in one direction or the other, the motion of the member 5 will change the position of the driving connection 0 in such a wa as to maintain the speed of the driven mem er constant irrespective of variations in the speed of the motor.

The motor A is coupled to a driving shaft 7 by means of a flexible coupling 6, such as is commonly employed in printing telegraph apparatus. The driving shaft 7 is encircled y a sleeve 9, the travel of which is limited by a collar 8 secured at the free end of the shaft 7 and which is rotated with the shaft- 7 due to a key 26 which is secured thereto. The sleeve 9 has a friction roller 11 rigidly secured to free end thereof for engaging a metal disc 13 which is secured to a rotatable shaft 25. For maintaining the friction roller 11 in contact with the disc 13, an auxiliary disc 12 having a helical spring 14 exertinga pressure on the disc 12 is provided. The sleeve 9 is journaled in an upright member 10, and has grooves 17 cut therein, which are engaged by the projecting members of a yoke 18. This yoke 18 has secured thereto a bail 19, which supports a rack 20, the under side of which has teeth out therein. The teeth of the rack 20 engage the teeth of a inion 21, which is secured to a shaft 22. s will be more clearly described hereinafter, the yoke 18 is arranged to be moved horizontally for changing the position of the friction roller 11 with respect to the disc 13 by the movement of the bail 19, thus changing the driving connec-, tion between the motor A and theshaft 25 to which the disc 13 is rigidly connected.

The disc 13 drives through a disc of friction material 16 an escapement wheel 15, which forms a part of the balance and escapement mechanism B. The balance and escapement mechanism B in addition to the escapement Wheel 15 comprises an anchor 30 rotatably mounted on a shaft 31; an impulse pin 32 secured to a balance wheel 33, which is mounted on a shaft 36 supported by uprights 37 and 38 and adapted to move in a manner whereby-the pin 32 engages the fork of the anchor 30; and a helical spring 35 which has one end fastened to the balance.

wheel 33, while the other end is fixed to the shaft 36. The escapement wheel 15 is provided with six teeth so that a suitable relation exists between the speed of a given balance and escapement mechanism and that of the element which is driven by the motor.

Power is communicated to the escapement wheel 15 through the action of the metal disc 13 on the friction disc 16, and rotates it until it is stopped by the engagement of the radial faces of the escapement wheel 15 with onepallet of the anchor 30. The balance due to its inertia continues its swing, and on its return the impulse pin 32 engages the fork of the anchor 30, releasing the es- .capement wheel and allowing it to rotate.

the rate of the balance to the speed of th driving motor.

Rigidly secured to the escapement wheel 15 is a circular member 40, which has rigidly secured thereto a pair of arms 41 and 42, supporting at their free ends pinions 43 and 44, respectively. The pinion 43 engages teeth in a gear wheel 45, which is rigidly secured to the shaft 25. however, engages the teethof thepinion 43 as well as the teeth of a second gear wheel 46. The gear wheel 46 is rigidly secured to the gear wheel 5, the teeth of which are meshed with those of a rack 50, which is maintained in engagement therewith by a roller 51 secured to a shaft 52. This shaft 52 is journaled in an upright 53. To insure the rotation of the escapelnent wheel 15 and the member with the disc 13, an additional friction disc is disposed on one side of the member 40, which is held in place by a helical spring 47. The rack extends from the ear wheel 5 to a pinion 54, which is rigi ly secured to shaft 22, journaled to the uprights 23 and 56. The end of the rack 50, which has its teeth meshed with those of the pinion 54, is held down by a roller 55 in a manner similar to that described in connection with roller 51. To prevent lateral movement of the rack 50 and the rack 20, struts 57 and 58 extend be tween the respective members.

.The shaft 25, which is driven by the friction roller 11 enga 'ng the circular disc 13,

- also has secured t ereto a pinion 60, the teeth of which engage those of a gear wheel 61 secured to shaft 62 of the distributor D.

The shaft 62 carries a brush arm 63, the,

brushes of which are arranged to bridge the segments 64 with. a continuous ring '(not shown).

When the ratio of thespeed of shaft 25 to the rate of the balance and escapement has a predetermined value, no movement of the gear wheel 5 is produced except the "oscillatory motion set up due to the starting and stopping of the escapement wheel 15. This osclllatory movement is transmitted through the gear mechanism to the rack 50, and consequently to the driving mechanism C, which is intermittently moved in and out with respect to the hub of the 13 The latter pinion,

through a smalldistance. vThis movement is not s'uflicient to cause any appreciable movement of the driving connections C lVhen the speed of the motor A increases the pinion 43 is rotated by the gear wheel 45 at adifi'erent rate from its normal rate whereby movement is imparted to the gear wheel 5 through the pinion 44 and the gear wheel 46 to vcause the rack 50 to be. moved in the direction of the arrow. The movement of the rack 50 causes the rotation of the pinion 54 and consequently the shaft 22, by means of which the pinion 21 is rotated for causing the movement of the driving connection 0, comprising the friction roller 11 and other parts, outwardly with respect to the hub of the disc 13. The distance which the roller 11 is moved depends entirely on the amount of increase of the speed of the motor ,4. With the roller 11 moved outwardly, the circle described on the disc 13 by the friction roller 11 is made larger whereby although the s eed of the motor A.

has increased, the spec of the shaft 18 is substantially that of the predetermined speed; Should the speed of the motor A dc crease a condition exists in which at wheel 45 rotates at a slower speed. Suc acondition causes the rotation of the pinion 44 in a counter-clockwise direction for causing the movement of the gear Wheels 5 and 46 in a clockwise direction. The movement of the latter gear wheels in this direction causes the rack-50 to be moved to the right, or in a direction opposite to that of the arrow for causing the corresponding movement of the mechanism included in the driving connection C. The'roller 11 for this condition is moved inwardly from its normally operating position, thus compensating-for the. decrease in the speed of the motor A and causing the shaft 18 to continue to run at its predeterminedspeed.

It is apparent from the previous description that "the invention providesmechanism whereby the driven element, such as a distributor D, will be driven at a constant and uniform speed irrespective of variations in the speed of the motor A as the position of the driving connection 0 will be varied for changes in the speed of the motor A.

Although the invention has been illustrated inconnection with a particular type of apparatus, it is obvious that other variations may besmade without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

The invention claimed is:

1. In combination, a shaft to be driven at a constant predetermined speed, a motor having a variable speed, airiction dri connection between said motor and said shaft, a balance and escapement mechanism operating at a constant rate, and means controlled by variations in the "speed of said motor from the rate of-operation of said balance and escapement mechanism for changing the driving position of said friction driving connection so that said shaft will continue to be driven at the predetermined speed irrespective of changes in the speed of the motor.

a 2. In combination, a shaft to be driven at a substantially constant and uniform speed, a. motor having a variable speed, a driving 1. connection between said motor and shaft, a

balance and escapement mechanism operthe rate of operation of said balance and escapement mechanism for changing said driving connection to compensate for changes in the speed of said motor.

In Witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 24th day of October A. 1)., 1922.

LOUIS M. POTTS. 

